Better to love than never at all
by kisa-tiger-san
Summary: Gold's birthday is coming closer, and both Silver and Crystal are getting him a present! It's a battle for Gold's love, so... who will Gold choose? MangaQuestShipping, one-sided PreciousMetalShipping


A/N: Here's Kisa with a one-shot for JohtoShipping~! =shot= I'm a hardcore PreciousMetalShipper, but I still occasionally do some MangaQuest stuff... I'm weird that way xDDD

* * *

"Hm... what to do, what to do..." Crystal murmured, digging through the mess that was the Pokemon Lab. She finally found the item she was looking for, then flipped her PokeGear open. She dialled the number stored in it, then waited as the phone beeped on the other line. _"...What is it?_" an annoyed voice on the other side asked, apparently not liking being called by others.

"Silver, it wouldn't kill you say hi for once, would it?" she said, smiling to herself. "Anyway, it's Gold's birthday soon, I wonder what we can get for him... I bet he's expecting something from us... Now, what to- Silver? Did you just hang up on me!" she yelled into the phone angrily, hearing the monotonous beeping on the other end. "Grr... Guys... You can't depend on them..." she muttered angrily, then packed her bag to go to the nearest city to do some shopping. "Maybe there's more things in Lilycove City Department Store," she muttered to herself, then stepped outside to see Silver waiting there with his Honchkrow.

Needless to say, she smacked him in the face with her bag, then went off with a huff, shouting at him, "You flipping hung up on me, Silver! You think that's funny? _I don't think so_!" She sent out Xatee, then flew towards the port in Vermillion City to take a ship to the Hoenn region, Silver following closely behind. They reached the port there in after a few minutes, then Silver blurted, "Are you PMSing or something?" Silver was smacked once more by Crystal, who was now fuming.

"Were you always this _insensitive_ to others, Silver?" she snapped, snatching the tickets that she bought from the lady at the counter, who was cowering with fear. Silver had the good sense to remain quiet, then looked away from Crystal pointedly. Crystal rolled her eyes, returning Xatee to its Pokeball and lining up in the queue to get on the ship. Silver followed quietly, scowling at the random people who tried hitting on him.

_'This is the last call for the passengers aboard the V.C. Lapras, so do make your way to the port now if you are going to Lilycove City,_' the announcement rang. Crystal sighed contently as she stared outside the window, watching the Wingulls flying outside. Silver had tied his hair into a low ponytail, then glanced at the female he deemed as 'scary' next to him, sighing. Crystal's eyes snapped over to him immediately, then growled, "...What?" Silver shook his head, not wanting to get hit again. Crystal huffed, then went back to staring out the window.

They reached Lilycove City after a few hours, both of them wincing as they stretched their cramped legs. Silver glared at the people who pushed past them to get out first, then Crystal decided to wait until the crowd cleared. They headed to the Lilycove Department store, then saw two figures in the distance. "Hey, isn't that Ruby and Sapphire?" Crystal murmured, waving to them. She had an iron grip on his wrist to prevent him from running away. Silver tugged his hand away from her, scowling angrily. She glared at him, then let go of his wrist. "You will get a present for Gold whether you like it or not, since you got such a nice gift for your birthday," she warned, then went into the store with Silver trailing behind her warily.

"Hm... What shall I get... She murmured, then took the elevator to the floor where they sold decorations to decorate a room. She browsed through the whole selection, then wondered what Gold would like. _'I definitely am going to get something that he'd like better than what Silver's getting him,'_ she thought to herself.

**In case any of you are confused or have no idea what's going on, Silver and Crystal are rivals for Gold's love. Apparently, the score of Silver to Crystal is a tie at 46-46, and this one shall be a tie-breaker until either one of them confesses.**

Crystal frowned, then sighed as she saw Silver going out of a jewellery store with a package in his hands. She thought to herself, _'He's already gotten Gold a present, I shouldn't lag behind or he'll win...'_ She noticed a Typhlosion Doll that was on sale, but then someone else bought it the moment she reached there. "Excuse me, but how much am I able to buy that doll from you?" she asked the person, who stared back at her.

"Uh, it's not for sale," the person replied, walking off until Crystal said, "I'll trade _any_ Pokemon with you except legendaries, so... please?" The person thought for a while, then nodded, saying, "I want a Cyndaquil." She nodded, then followed the person to the Pokemon Center and withdrawed a Cyndaquil from her PC box. "Here you go!" she beamed, the person giving her the giant doll in exchange. She grinned happily, then put it in her box for storage before going off to buy wrapping paper. Silver caught up with her at the paper store where they were buying gift wrappers.

"Crystal..." Silver mumbled, then turned to face her. His silver eyes were somewhat sad as he said to her, "I know that Gold doesn't like me that way, and all I wish for him is to be happy, even if he loves you... I've seen it in his expression whenever he looks at you, so...I rather be his best friend than someone who will be awkward around him. This is to tell you that... I'm giving up on him..." He took a gold wrapping paper from the stack, then headed to the counter to pay for it. Crystal was stunned and stood there for a while, then took a box that was big enough to store the Typhlosion Doll in. She watched as Silver smiled to himself, then left without her, heading to the PokeCenter for the night.

The next morning, Crystal noticed that Silver was back to his usual self, then nodded to him. He glanced at her warily, then said, "You aren't going to smack me with your bag again, are you?"

"Not unless you do something stupid," she replied cheerfully, then both of them got on the L.C. Gyarados back to Vermillion City. Crystal had wrapped up the present the night before, then stored it once more in her PC box. They were on the deck, the salty sea breeze blowing at them. Crystal glanced at Silver, who was staring out into the endless ocean with a hint of melancholy in his eyes. She hugged her bag close to her, then stared up into the pale blue sky, enjoying the breeze.

_'...I shouldn't feel this happy that Silver's given up on going after Gold, but I'm also happy that Gold likes me..._' she thought, watching the ripples made by the ship float on the deep blue surface. Silver's red hair looked aflare in the bright sunlight, and his silver eyes were gazing aimlessly in the distance. Crystal watched with concern for her part-rival part-friend, then lay back on the chair and watched the Wingulls and Pelippers flying around.

_'Passengers who are alighting at Vermillion City, we have reached our destination. To continue along the route to the Island One, please remain on the ship. Thank you for your cooperation,'_ the announcement rang, both Crystal and Silver getting off the ship. Silver immediately sent out Honchkrow, then waved to Crystal. "I shall be in Viridian City until Gold's birthday, so don't bother calling me," he said, flying off into the distance. Crystal waved to him, then decided to go back to New Bark Town to get ready for Gold's birthday.

Since his birthday was three days away, Crystal had enough time to prepare his house since he had gone to train with Red at Mt. Silver. His mother had already started with the decorations, so all Crystal needed to do was to set the presents. Gold's mother had sent the invitations a few days ago, so most of the DexHolders would be going.

* * *

Soon, July 21st rolled around the corner, not literally, of course, but you knew that, right? Anyway, Gold came back home from Mt. Silver with Red beside him, talking and laughing about something. Crystal waited patiently for Gold at his house, the other DexHolders were already there, except for that one redhead. She flipped her PokeGear, then dialled his number, waiting for the other person to pick up. She heard Silver's voice on the other end, asking angrily, "_What the f*ck do you want?"_ Then, he hung up on her. She stared at her phone for a few minutes, then scowled. Silver can't possibly miss Gold's birthday...

Gold grinned at the sight of the other DexHolders, ruffling his juniors' hair in amusement, getting an annoyed "Hey!" from Ruby. He smirked at all of them, then his eyes landed on Crystal. "Hey, Crys!" he called out to her, then slapped her butt for good measure. "You seem to have-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence when Crystal smacked him with her bag, then she retorted, "Are all guys this _insensitive_?" Gold laughed, then gave her a hug. "I've missed you, both you and my best bud, Silver!" he grinned. She felt her heart skip a beat as he mentioned her, then she hugged him back. "_But Silver's not-"_

She was cut off by Gold's grin, where he took out a chain from inside his jacket. On it was engraved,_ 'We have something special that no one, no distance, no time can take away..."_ Crystal's hand moved to cover her mouth, then she felt her tears flow down her face. Gold smiled, oblivious to Crystal's tears, then tucked it in his jacket, then grinned widely. "Isn't it nice? I got it from Silver just now when I met him in Viridian City. He said that he was going to give it to me earlier... Maybe he had- Crys? Why are you crying?" he asked in alarm, immediately wiping her tears with his jacket.

"I-it's just that, you have no idea of the meaning behind that..." she muttered, Gold cocking his head curiously. "What...?" he asked, then stared at the necklace. "He's talking about our friendship, right?" Crystal was about to open her mouth when her PokeGear beeped, then she saw that it was a message from Silver.

_'Confess to that idiot already, and don't tell that baka hentai the meaning in that necklace. Remember what I said. -Silver_

_P.S. Delete this message after reading it, I don't want anyone else to see it.'_

She wiped her tears, then deleted the message. She smiled at him, then nodded. "It's nothing, Gold. Let's enjoy the party, after all, it's your birthday~!" she beamed, Gold smiling back at her.

"It's such a disappointment that Silver couldn't join us... Ah well, I'll save some cake for him then!" he laughed, then turned to the other DexHolders who had been watching them. Crystal beamed, then sighed when no one noticed her. 'Silver loves him so much...' she thought, then she smiled as Gold looked in her direction. He grinned in reply, walking over to her. She clutched the present she wanted to give him, then blushed.

"G-gold? I have something to tell you..." she mumbled, face aflame. She looked up into his golden eyes, and she felt nervous.

"What is it, Crys?" he asked, looking back at her. She hesitated before mumbling, "..."

"What's that, Crys? I can't hear..."

_"...you_."

"Wh-?"

"_**I LOVE YOU, ALL RIGHT?"** _she shouted, face flushing brightly. His eyes widened and he had a slight blush on his face, then he hugged her. "_I love you too, Crys_," he whispered in her ear, Crystal's tears of happiness leaking out from her eyes. Gold broke the hug, then stared into her crystal blue eyes. He leaned in to kiss her, a happy and genuine smile on his face.

Silver watched the scene from the distance, hiding among the trees. A stray tear slid down his face as he smiled softly, seeing Gold's own happy one. He disappeared into the shadows, then flew away silently into the night. The only thing that was seen was his silvery orbs with the reflection of moonlight behind them.

It's better to have loved and lost than never at all...


End file.
